Looking for a silent, reliable PSU

[tvih]

I'm looking for a new PSU as part of my coming new computer. But I'm at bit of a loss.

Thing is I need it to be powerful enough (around 400W). But it also needs to be silent and reliable, and have good efficiency. Preferably modular, as the SG03 isn't necessarily the best case for doing cable management.

I started looking at the Corsair HX450W. But apparently it's not really quiet. Kind of like my previous system's Zalman ZM600-HP Silent 600W, which might be silent if you happen to be deaf, but otherwise it's not, and it appears to have a similar Adda fan. Even the Gigabyte 8800GT that I had in the system was more silent at idle. So even though the Corsair has good efficiency, is modular, and has good quality components and a very long 7-year warranty it seems like it'd be much too loud. Price is about 76 euros.

Next I looked at the Nexus Value 430. It's apparently very silent according to SPCR. It also has an OK efficiency. Two major downsides though - it's not modular, and it has Teapo capacitors which I hear are not very reliable. And I suppose I have some proof of that - my brother also had a ZM600-HP and its Teapo capacitors died just after a year of use. Kind of a bummer in that respect. Price is about 70 euros.

Then, Enermax Modu82+ 425. Modular, excellent efficiency, apparently more silent than the Corsair but louder than the Nexus. Uncertain on the capacitors, they don't appear to be Teapo but no idea what they are, really. It seems like a quite silent PSU at low loads, but when the load gets near to the maximum, it does "soar up" a bit much. Thing is I'm not yet sure what GPU I'll end up with, so it's hard to predict what kind of energy consumption I'll be looking at precisely. HD 5770 and 58x0 are contenders, but that's all I know for now. GT300 is probably going to be too expensive. Price for the Modu82+ is about 92 euros.

Thing is the Corsair at least could be made much more silent by swapping the fan. But voiding the 7-year warranty with that? I'd really rather not. The Enermax indeed seems much dependant on lower loads to stay silent, while the Nexus is silent even at full load.

What do others think? Any really good options (for my criteria) I'm overlooking?

 

[Zero82z]

Teapo capacitors are fine in PSUs. They don't have reliability issues.

What are the specs of the PC you'll be using? You might not even load a ~400W PSU enough to generate a lot of noise. And if you are, you should look at getting a higher-wattage unit, because its load percentage will be lower which means that the fan will be run less as well.

 

[tvih]

Well, it's for the i5 750 setup in my sig with the GPU still being a question mark (temporarily the HD 4670). I probably shouldn't be needing more than 300W max, but the ~400W is to be safe and not stress the thing too much. Don't want to go over 450W or so though, as I'd rather not jeopardize low-load efficiency (obviously some PSUs can do lower loads better than others even rated wattage aside).

The Enermax 625W version starts to get loud at around 400W, and quite nasty at 500W looking at the SPCR review. It's still 80% efficient at 10% load which is quite impressive, so as an exception it'd work for my system too. Problem is it costs a not-insignificant 62 euros more than the 425W version. But I haven't found comparative power to noise levels for the 425W. It kind of sucks, as with the Corsair, a more quiet fan would do wonders. You'd think that with such expensive PSUs they could spend an extra buck or two to use a proper silent yet effective fan - like in the Nexus Value 430.

And what comes to Teapo, well, googling on the subject will turn out some quite unfavorable comments on them, and I've talked to several people who repair PSUs and other electronics and whose comments are even less favorable. Seems a bit of a gamble.

 

[Zero82z]

Well, it's for the i5 750 setup in my sig with the GPU still being a question mark (temporarily the HD 4670). I probably shouldn't be needing more than 300W max, but the ~400W is to be safe and not stress the thing too much. Don't want to go over 450W or so though, as I'd rather not jeopardize low-load efficiency (obviously some PSUs can do lower loads better than others even rated wattage aside).

The Enermax 625W version starts to get loud at around 400W, and quite nasty at 500W looking at the SPCR review. It's still 80% efficient at 10% load which is quite impressive, so as an exception it'd work for my system too. Problem is it costs a not-insignificant 62 euros more than the 425W version. But I haven't found comparative power to noise levels for the 425W. It kind of sucks, as with the Corsair, a more quiet fan would do wonders. You'd think that with such expensive PSUs they could spend an extra buck or two to use a proper silent yet effective fan - like in the Nexus Value 430.

I presume that you won't be overclocking and that you'll be using a fairly low-power GPU? If that is the case, then the HX450 would be fine for your purposes. Having had experience with my own HX520, I can tell you with certainty that you'll have to load it up significantly before it even becomes audible, let alone loud.

And what comes to Teapo, well, googling on the subject will turn out some quite unfavorable comments on them, and I've talked to several people who repair PSUs and other electronics and whose comments are even less favorable. Seems a bit of a gamble.

Teapo caps are used in many mid-range and upper-mid-range PSUs and have proven to be perfectly reliable when used in PSUs. Paul Johnson, Oklahoma Wolf, and Jon Gerow have said numerous times that there are no issues with Teapo caps being used in PSUs.

 

[tvih]

I presume that you won't be overclocking and that you'll be using a fairly low-power GPU? If that is the case, then the HX450 would be fine for your purposes. Having had experience with my own HX520, I can tell you with certainty that you'll have to load it up significantly before it even becomes audible, let alone loud.

Won't be overclocking at least initially. Likely to do it "down to road" to some extent - nothing extreme though - to prolong the period of time before I need to upgrade due to performance. And as I already said, it's most likely either HD 5770, 5870 or GT300 for the GPU, the latter being a big question mark given there's no info on performance or price, or power consumption for that matter. But even so, 400-450W should be enough (figure 100W for CPU, 200W for GPU and the rest is peanuts pretty much) when by comparison a 300W can run a Q9550 and HD 4850 ala SG05/6.

Also, the Enermax is more silent than the HX520. And as stated, even the Zalman was supposedly quiet, according to reviews and many users. It wasn't. Supposedly the SG06's PSU is somewhat quiet too - sure, if you happen to think an old hair dryer is quiet too.

Initially I will be using a OCZ StealthXStream 600W that's otherwise sitting unsused, and if I'd simply be ok with "sort of quiet" instead of actually quiet, I could just save the money and keep using it rather than buy another similarly noisy PSU.

In general people have different definitions of silent. Mine happens to be somewhat extreme.

Teapo caps are used in many mid-range and upper-mid-range PSUs and have proven to be perfectly reliable when used in PSUs. Paul Johnson, Oklahoma Wolf, and Jon Gerow have said numerous times that there are no issues with Teapo caps being used in PSUs.

Used, yes, I know where they are used PSU-wise. Reliable? Well, it's debatable since like I said, my brother's Zalman used Teapos, and the caps died. He's hardly the only one to whom that happened, and indeed in PSUs. It was basically 100 euros down the drain. Granted there can always be duds even in good quality stuff, but I still can't say I find the Teapos 100% trustworthy.

 

[Zero82z]

Well, if your definition of silent is so extreme, then the only person who can make a real assessment is you. Anything that anyone else can tell you will be subjective, and if they perceive things differently then their testimony will be useless to you.

Used, yes, I know where they are used PSU-wise. Reliable? Well, it's debatable since like I said, my brother's Zalman used Teapos, and the caps died. He's hardly the only one to whom that happened, and indeed in PSUs. It was basically 100 euros down the drain. Granted there can always be duds even in good quality stuff, but I still can't say I find the Teapos 100% trustworthy.

What exactly happened in your brother's PSU? Did all the capacitors fail? Are you sure that it was actually the caps? If all the caps did fail, it probably wasn't the caps themselves but some issue with the PSU which caused them to fail. And if it was really the caps, one single incident doesn't really indicate a large-scale issue.

 

[tvih]

Yeah, I know I'm technically the only one who can make the assesment. But there are "guidelines" such direct comparisons in reviews - like the ones @ SPCR. Unfortunately it's impossible for me to get to hear the PSUs without buying them, and it's not like I could just buy them all and cherry-pick the most suitable one.

I had a discussion with some people who repair PSUs and the like about the Zalman, and they said the caps were the most likely reason based on the symptoms and their previous experiences. It's not a 100% certainty, but then what is. In any case, the noise level and efficiency is in the end more important than the caps for me, but that still leaves the most silent option - the Nexus - with the lowest efficiency of the three, as well as it not being modular. But I suppose the OCZ will allow me to judge how difficult it is to tuck away the extra cables.

 

[Yuritau]

I have an HX520 as well, and I have to say, if you think an HX 520 is too loud, you'll never find a PSU you'll be satisfied with. Apart from the dvd drive at full RPM, the loudest thing in my case is my 24 dB @12v 120mm fans. Even when I dial the fans back to 5V, you still can't hear a damn thing from the HX520.

 

[tvih]

That's like saying the HX520 is the most silent PSU out there. It's not At 1 meter in an anechoic the Nexus Value 430 gets only 19dBA at a 400W load.

It's a shame the Silverstone Nightjar 450W is so expensive (around 150 euros), it'd be pretty much dead silent, since it's passive. And it can apparently operate relatively well even with 1-2 system fans. And I suppose it'd be possible to attach a Nexus 120mm to it at 5V or so for some extra cooling at effectively no noise (not audible over the the two other Nexus 120mm fans I'll have in the system, attached to a fan controller to adjust speed according to what's needed).

A lot also depends on the GPU. If it ends up being too loud, there's little point in a super-quiet PSU. Currently the HD 4670 I have is passive and therefore noiseless, but I'll probably get a new card in December or January, and whatever I get is going to be no slouch (HD 5770 at minimum). But I'm not so familiar with all that many after-market silent yet effective GPU coolers. Mainly the Accelero Twin Turbo comes to mind, but when there's going to be a model compatible with the new cards is another thing.

 

[Igneos79]

I would recommend corsair vx 450. Not modular but silent and reliable

 

[InvisiBill]

I just put an OCZ StealthXStream 400W in my FreeNAS box. With my main i7 rig across the room, I can't even tell by sound if the FreeNAS is running when I put my ear up to it. If I put my ear literally inside the case (Enlight 7237 with three of the 5.25" bays open), I can hear a slight hum. I'm not sure if that's the PSU or the Gelid 92mm on the CPU heatsink.

It's not modular and has lots of Molex plugs though.

 

[tvih]

Well, the 600W StealthXStream is definitely easily audible even at idle, and no need to get within 1 meter of it either. Which brings me to the fact that it's worth noting that the case will be within a meter of me on my desk when I'm using it, which is why someone else's silent might not be silent to me, due to the short distance to the system.

 

[Dangman]

Just a FYI: The StealthXStream 400W is built by CWT whereas the StealthXStream 600W is built by FSP. CWT is generally better than FSP when it comes to PSU quality.

Since they're based off different platforms, there's a good chance that their noise levels will be different.

 

[tvih]

Ah, yeah, that's quite possible as well. Though regarding CWT, from what I've read so far they make both great and crappy PSUs too.

 

[Dangman]

Ah, yeah, that's quite possible as well. Though regarding CWT, from what I've read so far they make both great and crappy PSUs too.

Well it's partially not CWT's fault that some of their PSUs are crappy since they only build to the specifications of the manufacturer. So if the manufacturer specifies low quality or crap, then CWT will build those low quality/crap PSUs.

 

[tvih]

Yup, that's pretty much what I heard. But in the end crap is crap, regardless of how it ended that way. Oh well, I just hope I get the system assembled soon, even if it is with the temporary OCZ PSU.

 

[Yuritau]

That's like saying the HX520 is the most silent PSU out there. It's not At 1 meter in an anechoic the Nexus Value 430 gets only 19dBA at a 400W load.

I never tried to say the HX520 is the most silent PSU out there. All I was saying is that if that particular PSU is too loud for you, then quite frankly you're being unreasonable. The only way it's going to be the loudest thing in your case is if you have all SSD disk drives, no DVD drive, and everything passive cooled.

 

[tvih]

Difference with the disk and optical drives is that they're effectively idle most of the time. Also it's not unreasonable especially if and when there in fact are more silent options, no? Also it's worth noting that the HX450/520/620 ramp up in volume considerably under load even if they are somewhat quiet at idle, while something like the Nexus stays much more silent even under load.